Indigo Heights
by HaveBookWillTravel
Summary: Seven years ago, Team Flare tried to destroy an entire region. They were stopped by a child Trainer, but at a terrible cost; not only in lives, but also in a young man's innocence. Now, pulled from his depression by his stalwart Pokemon, can Ash Ketchum find the resolve to aim once more for the Indigo heights he's dreamed of and become the champion he was meant to be? GEN
1. Decisions, Decisions

**Author's Note: **As a Pokemon enthusiast who has been with the franchise since Blue and Red and the original anime series, I have always been a bit miffed (read as terribly furious) with the fact that Ash never aged up. From the franchise's perspective, I can see why they do it; the target audience needs to find a protagonist familiar and so he stays ten. Having his and Pikachu's power and skill reset after every fucking region makes me a little more than miffed (read as thunderous rage).

So, I decided to age Ash up after his Kalos run and have him catch a seven-year case of Heroic BSOD. I have no clue what's going to happen with Team Flare and Ash, I just took some artistic license and did what I felt was necessary for the plot I had in mind to work.

Therefore, here's this thing that I hope will make a few people happy. If not, I'm still happy writing it, so that's all that really matters in the end. I'm uploading it today because it's my birthday and I have nothing better to do.

**Disclaimer: **The Pokemon franchise is owned and operated by Nintendo and a few others. I'm not one of those few others, nor am I Nintendo. If I _did_ own any part of Pokemon, Arcanine would've gotten a Mega Evolution, because if a totally broken 'mon like Garchomp gets one, then the fucking Legendary Pokemon should get one, too!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Decisions, Decisions**

* * *

The town of Pallet in the region of the Home Islands known as Kanto is not exceptionally well-known, even in its own country. People throughout the islands will speak of Floaroma's enchanting gardens, or mention the grand lights of Goldenrod, or wax eloquent about Lilycove's sparkling harbor, but hardly will one hear talk of quaint little Pallet by the sea.

If anyone _does _talk about the small town in southwest Kanto, they will more than likely be discussing the latest theories or breakthroughs of the Professors Oak, Samuel and his grandson Gary. One is a pillar of the scientific community, having almost single-handedly pioneered the study of Pokemon. He has either taught or worked with the greatest minds in the world, and was even the Kanto region's Champion for a time in his younger days. The other is a rising star who has traveled the world prodding and poking at the mysteries of life, the universe, and everything. And while he never worked in the same levels as his grandfather, Gary had once taken part in several notable tournaments as well.

But there are a fair few all across the islands (and several around the world) who will recall fondly their memories of a certain Pallet native who once competed in top-tier, region-wide tournaments and held his own while still a child, a young man more stubborn than a herd of Tauros and more lively than an Electivire's tail, who had faced down Legends and gods with only his friends and determination to back him.

But something happened to this son of Pallet along the way. None who knew him ever managed a straight answer from him, but it was the general consensus that he lost sight of his lifelong dream of becoming a Master-class Pokemon Trainer. So he returned to his home, and there he has remained for seven long years.

* * *

It was a peaceful spring evening on Samuel Oak's ranch, and the many Pokemon who took residence there were either getting ready for the night or settling down to a restful sleep as the sun set behind the hills. Except they all knew nothing about this particular evening would be either peaceful or restful.

"WHAT!?" a horrified voice shouted from within the small guesthouse near the edge of the ranch's boundary fence. Most of the Pokemon living there already had expected the Uproar, and thankfully there was a very powerful Bulbasaur acting as a peacekeeper who had prepared little bags of soporific powder for the diurnal pocket monsters.

The source of the sonic attack was, of course, Ash Ketchum, who lived in the little house. After his homecoming, Ash had begun to spend more and more time at Oak's ranch until the aging researcher had jokingly told the boy he should just move there. Ash and his Pokemon had everything but the wiring set within the week, and a defeated Samuel Oak helped them finish the circuitry by the end of the next.

Which isn't to say that Ash had become a freeloader in the seven years he'd been home. The Pokemon Prof. was getting on in years, and try as he might old Sammy just wasn't as spry as he had once been. His assistant, Tracey, did all that he could, but the young artist could only do so much. Luckily, Ash and all his Pokemon took to the management of the ranch like a Seaking to a waterfall, and soon everyone simply fell into a routine that lasted half a decade.

And one of the most important points of that routine was that, for the transitional week between Spring and Summer, Ash Ketchum went absolutely Aipom-shit over the Silver League tournament.

"Oh for the love of Pokemon, don't use Psychic moves! Spiritomb's got a Dark sub-type! Use your Pokedex once in a while!"

The electric mouse laying on the sofa's armrest gave a long-suffering sigh as he studied his oldest friend. No matter how long he lived, Pikachu would never, ever understand the physiology of the species known as Human. The differences between individuals could be so similar you couldn't tell which was which, or they could be so different, you'd think they were different species altogether.

And they didn't evolve. Like, ever. Pikachu had even tried a few evolution stones on Ash while he was asleep in case that was holding him back, but none even sparked a reaction. Instead, humans just sort of...got bigger while staying mostly the same.

Pikachu recalled his time as a Pichu, back before he'd evolved and gotten caught, and he knew that there were some big differences in appearance. Meanwhile, Ash just gained about half a meter in height and a slight lengthening of his head-fur (and no matter how many times Ash said otherwise, there was no such word as "hair"). He also changed his clothing more often, but that was probably because he had a wider selection at home than the ones he carried with him while traveling.

"Get it with the heavy hitters! Your Venusaur knows Frenzy Plant!" Ash shouted at the screen in disgusted frustration. "How the heck did you get to the semi-finals!?"

"_Well, you seemed to pull it off every other time we competed," _the yellow mouse pointed out, reminding Ash that he'd managed the semis several different times on dumb luck alone.

"Okay, you've got me there," Ash relented, then jabbed his thumb at the screen. "But I was ten at the time. What's his excuse?"

Pikachu had to give Ash that one; the Trainer Ash was yelling at was on his second-to-last Pokemon, while his opponent's team was still fresh as a daisy. All because, since it looked like a Ghost, then it obviously was a Ghost, nevermind the fact that Psychic moves and other Ghost attacks weren't doing a lick of good.

"_Oh? And you could do any better?" _Pikachu asked skeptically, sitting up and crossing his arms.

"Of course I can do better!" Ash answered passionately. "We beat the Kanto Battle Frontier ages ago! We could take out both of these guys blindfolded."

Pikachu remained in the same pose, exuding smugness. It took Ash a moment to realize what his partner was trying to get at. "Not this again," he muttered, running a hand through his coal-colored hair. "We tried, and we couldn't make it work. You know that, Pi."

_"Geez," _the mouse grumbled, smacking his friend with a (very slightly) charged tail. _"When are you going to get it through your thick skull that we tried that _five years ago_!"_ the Pokemon ranted. _"All of us were a lot less experienced, a lot less powerful, and a hell of a lot _stupider _than we are now. Well," _he amended, glancing sidelong at Ash, _"you're still pretty stupid."_

"Hey!" Ash began, then concluded after a moment's deliberation that he _did _resemble that remark. Vaguely. "Okay, so maybe it might be different if we were to compete again. _If_," he emphasized when Pikachu's face brightened. "Those days are behind us now." He waved his hands around the small, yet rather cozy home they'd made for themselves. "We've got this now, and responsibilities to the ranch that we can't just throw away on a whim."

"_How is this happening?" _Pikachu lamented, only half joking. _"You know, once upon a time, I wouldn't have had to argue about going on another adventure. You would have already been halfway to Viridian by now."_

"Yeah, well," Ash mumbled as he sank back into the sofa cushions, "Time changes people, you know?"

"_I suppose so,"_ Pikachu answered heavily as he settled back into his comfortable position and went back to watching the total curbstomping conclude onscreen.

The next semifinals battle was much more lively and interesting. As it turned out, Ash knew both of the Trainers quite well, and had been following their success throughout the conference. The six-on-six battle lasted well past the hour mark, but soon, each side was down to their last Pokemon.

Onscreen, an Empoleon went fin-and-beak to blade against a Gallade, neither side giving an inch. The Empoleon's Trainer leapt into the air and called for an icy counter-shield that just managed to block Gallade's incoming Power-Up Punch long enough to wind up a Drill Peck that finally took the powerful humanoid out.

"And that's it for the semifinals, folks!" the announcer's voice blared through the speakers. "After one of the most heated matches we've seen so far in this Silver Conference, Barry of Twinleaf has triumphed over Max from Petalburg."

The tall, blonde-haired man hopped over the railings and onto the field, and when Max tried to offer the traditional handshake usually shared by opponents, Barry grabbed Max and gave him a big noogie that knocked the younger Trainer's glasses askew.

"Man, that was a great battle, huh?" Ash stated, watching his two old friends waving at the screen.

"_That's an understatement," _Pikachu replied with a grin. _"Gallade and Max must have spent the last month grinding non-stop to get that strong. They've certainly become a lot more confident in their power since winning the Evergrande Conference last year.__"_

A thought occurred to Pikachu in that moment; had it perhaps been a blow to his confidence that forced Ash into an early retirement? Thinking back, the only significant loss he'd suffered around that time had been at the hands of Lysandre, the villainous head of Team Flare.

Just recalling that whole catastrophe caused his ears to droop in shame, and Pikachu could definitely see where Ash was coming from if that was the case. All throughout their adventures and journeying, there had never been a darker moment than when Lysandre had unleashed his Ultimate Weapon on Geosenge Town. They had barely made it out by the skin of their teeth thanks to some quick thinking and a bit of help from a couple of the Gym Leaders of Kalos, but Lysandre, several dozen members of Team Flare, and their Pokemon hadn't been so lucky.

And of course, Ash must have shouldered the burden of their deaths and blamed himself for not being strong enough, or smart enough, or whatever damnfool notion that had gotten into his head.

It hit Pikachu like Zekrom's Fusion Bolt that he, the Pokemon who had stood by Ash longer than anyone except perhaps the Trainer's mother and mentor, hadn't understood just what poisonous thoughts had been eating away at the dark-haired young man until now. The Electric Mouse felt like smashing his head into Boldore's body repeatedly for such a _stupid _oversight.

"_Ash," _he began, unsure of how to put his revelation into words. His Trainer glanced up from the table, where he'd been cleaning up the empty snack wrappers they'd shared while watching the battles. _"Are you...what do you think about what happened...that day seven years ago?"_

Ash's face, which was normally so open and carefree, suddenly closed off completely. Turning away as he straightened up, Ash tried to play it off.

"What day is that?" he asked, dumping the trash into the waste bin in the kitchen.

"_You know the one I'm talking about," _Pikachu retorted stubbornly. If he had to drag his Trainer's dark thoughts out kicking and screaming, then he would, no matter how much it hurt both of them; they'd festered within Ash for too long as it was.

Ash gazed at Pikachu for a long moment, his thoughts churning in those amber eyes like a raging sea storm before his face seemed to crumple. "Pi, I can't talk about that right now. I just...I _can't._"

"_Then when?"_ Pikachu persisted, trying to pour all his concern and worry for Ash into his eyes and voice. _"Ash, you've been wallowing in your guilt for almost _decade_! When are you going to let it go?"_

"Never," Ash answered in a tone so bitter, Pikachu couldn't even believe it had come from his Trainer's mouth. "I got those people _killed_, Pikachu. They didn't faint, they weren't knocked unconscious or anything that could be fixed up at a Pokemon Center or a hospital. They _died_, and it's my fault. I tried to talk Lysandre out of his stupid plans and it didn't work."

"_And how many lives have you _saved_ over the years, huh?"_ Pikachu challenged fiercely, world-killing storms and maddened deities floating to the forefront of his mind. _"How many people have you helped, whose lives would be so much worse if you hadn't taken it upon yourself to lend a hand where you saw someone in need? You're one of the most incredible people I've ever known, human _or_ Pokemon, and I can't just sit by and watch you beat yourself up for something you had _no way _of preventing. It tears my heart up seeing you like this."_

Ash stood there in the kitchen, looking thunderstruck as Pikachu continued. _"I'm not saying that we should just forget about those lives lost. It's a damn tragedy that they died, but they're _dead_. It happens. I'm not trying to sound callous or cold-hearted, but that's the way the world works. Before Oak caught me, I was a wild Pokemon, I could've been killed and eaten at any time. Half my littermates went that way before they even had the chance to evolve, but I didn't let that stop me from living my own life."_

Pikachu watched as his words sank in, and Ash began to fidget. The human always got uncomfortable whenever Pikachu talked about his time as an 'uncivilized creature', and Pikachu felt bad for doing it, but he needed to hammer the point home.

"_If I had let death get in the way of my life, I never would've been caught by the Professor, and I never would have gotten the chance to meet you. We never would've gone on all of our crazy, dangerous, _incredible_ adventures, and I can't say that I regret any of it, even that day."_

"Pi," Ash paused, not looking entirely sure of what to say.

"_Just...just think about it, okay?" _Pikachu said tiredly, feeling like he'd gone toe-to-toe with a Legendary. Emotions were exhausting. _"I'm going to see where Bulbasaur's gone to."_

And before Ash could say anything else, Pikachu leapt from the couch to a table near an open window and out into the cool night breeze, hoping that conversation might give Ash the traction he needed to get out this five-year rut.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and early on the Oak Ranch, but already there was a buzz of activity all throughout the large plot of land. Several winged Pokemon were flying hither and thither, some bearing smaller Pokemon on their backs and in their talons while others carried messages to those who were too large to be lifted off the ground.

By nine, a motley collection of 'mon were assembled before the young man with jet-black hair and a Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Okay, guys, I guess you're wondering why I called you out so early." He was interrupted by a colossal snore from their resident layabout, Snorlax, which drew some laughter from the crowd.

"_Are you and the Professor going on another trip?" _asked Torkoal in a trembling voice. _"I just can't bear you leaving again!" _Tears began forming at the edges of his eyes, but the waterworks were headed off preemptively by Corphish, who patted Torkoal's shell comfortingly.

"_You know they're always back in a week or so, tops," _Corphish reassured the tearful tortoise.

"_Actually,"_ Pikachu announced, wearing a grin that was almost too wide for his face, _"Ash has decided to come out of retirement."_

There was a moment's ringing silence, broken only by the distant rumbling of the Tauros herd in the distance (only the lead Tauros had been called to this particular meeting). Then, almost as one, Ash's Pokemon began chattering excitedly.

"_Yes! We're back, baby!" _crowed Swellow, taking off from his perch on Torterra's tree and wheeling in the sky along with Unfezant and Staraptor. All three dodged out of the way of Charizard's triumphant Flamethrower as he roared his own approval of Ash's decision.

Corphish and Kingler had begun their secret (and in Pikachu's opinion, needlessly complicated) clawshake, which Bulbasaur decided to get in on with his vines. Torkoal began crying great big tears of joy while Gilscor sat on her tail and patted him with a thoroughly amused look on her face.

The others weren't nearly as vocal or flamboyant in their enthusiasm, but Pikachu swore he saw even Sceptile and Snivy (usually the most reserved of Ash's 'mon) trade gleeful smirks. Eventually, Ash managed to calm them all down in order to continue.

"What Pikachu failed to mention," here he shot Pikachu a half-hearted glare, but the Electric-type returned with an unrepentant grin, "was that I'm not completely sure I'm going to enter the League."

Charizard took the opportunity to grumble, _"Then why the hell did you spend so much money on this thing?"_ He pointed to the gleaming stone set into a gold circlet halfway down the Fire-type's tail. Just before that disastrous event five years ago, Ash had invested in Charizardite, which he'd received from Professor Sycamore. The cost of crafting a custom accessory for Charizard and having the Mega Stone set into it had been rather high, but Ash and Charizard had both agreed that it _was _pretty awesome to look at.

Unfortunately, that was all it was good for since Ash had lost all motivation for wanting to take Mega Evolution for a test drive when Geosenge had gone up in flames.

"Look, you guys," Ash appealed to the Pokemon with those soulful eyes of his, "What happened five years ago, it shook me up pretty badly. Hopefully, journeying around again like this will give me the boost I need. I just need you all to be a little patient with me." He chuckled and added, "You know how slow I am."

Bayleef came up and nuzzled Ash reassuringly. _"Don't worry, Ash. You know that we've all got your back. Take your time to sort through your feelings, and when you decide that you want to go back to accomplishing your dream of becoming a Pokemon Master, then you can count on us to be with you a hundred percent!"_

This garnered exclamations of agreement from the rest of the Pokemon, and they all gathered around Ash, who looked like he might just break down and cry from the amount of support and empathy he was receiving from his friends.

"Thanks, guys," Ash said tremulously after a moment. "I've got a feeling that next year's Indigo Conference won't know what hit 'em."

* * *

**After-Action Report: **There are lots of different theories as to what happened to Lysandre after he set off the Ultimate Weapon/Immortality Machine but I went down this route because Ash, being eleven or however old he is in Kalos, would have taken it really hard. I mean, can you imagine the person Ash is, a selfless, kind of clueless and naive, hero trying to help someone like Lysandre out and watching as he broke down and set off a weapon that killed who knew how many?

So yeah, Ash went home and started helping out Oak at the ranch; it's where most of his Pokemon are and it's within walking distance of his mom's house so I thought it would make sense.

As to the Pokemon speaking, the way I see it is that most Trainers have an inkling of what their Pokemon are saying, whether it's through body language, the tone of their voice, or some other means. Ash, as a confirmed aura user, just took it a step further unconsciously and now he can understand his Pokemon as though they were speaking plain English. His aura-manipulation powers will hopefully be explored later on.

For anything else that I didn't address here or in the story proper, you can review or PM me if you want an answer and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

And if there are any readers out there who are coming from one of my other stories, all I can say is I'm super, super sorry. I'm working on all of those other ones, but they're fighting me every step of the way. I'm sure I'll have something done but until then...er...enjoy this?


	2. On the Road Again

**Author's Note: **So here's another chapter of Indigo Heights, since my muse hasn't copped out on it yet. I think next update's gonna be for _Shingeki no Fate_, but apparently, muses don't take too kindly to bribery and even less so to blackmail.

Either way, I'm glad at least a few people have enjoyed this story enough to favorite and follow, so thanks to you. And a special thanks to **your local SIMUVAC** who posted the first review to this fic. I will forever be in your debt, SIMUVAC. Just don't go on the assumption that I'll ever pay that debt. I ain't no Lannister.

So this chapter will take us through Viridian Forest and we'll meet a couple old faces along the way. And no, it's not Pidgeot. So there.

**Disclaimer: **I own all the Pokemon games, I own or have owned every single Pokemon at one time or another. I don't own the Pokemon franchise, though. Which kinda sucks.

* * *

**Chapter 2: On the Road Again**

* * *

In the end, Ash decided on taking what remained of his original team, Charizard and Bulbasaur. Pikachu came along as well, but that went without saying. Along the road to Viridian, he released them from their Pokeballs. Immediately, Charizard took to the sky to scout out the path ahead, leaving Ash in the company of Pikachu and Bulbasaur, both of whom seemed to be just as jazzed about traveling again as Ash himself.

It had been much too long since he'd felt so carefree, watching the wild Rattata frolic in the grass as it rippled in the wind. Pidgey and the occasional Pidgeotto glided above on columns of warm air created by the bright sunlight.

As he and his oldest friends walked along, Ash couldn't help but notice that it wasn't as stifling and muggy as Hoenn, nor did the breeze carry with it the icy nip of Sinnoh's northern reaches got around the same time of year. No, it was just short of perfect as he and his friends traipsed along Kanto's Route One. The only thing that could have made it better would be having a few of his human companions along as well, even though he knew they were off doing their own things.

Tracey had, unsurprisingly, given them his full support when they'd come to him for advice, stating that he, Scizor, Azumarill, and Venomoth had things under control now that Gary had returned with two years' worth of field notes that needed to be sorted through. Oak the Younger had also endorsed Ash's decision, praising the dark-haired Trainer in that condescending way of his that made Ash unsure if he wanted to thank him or use Mega Punch on the smug bastard. Oak the Elder had simply yelled at Ash to get off his lawn and be done with it.

May, Dawn, and (after having met the two Coordinators and having a fangirl fit of epic proportions) Serena were off traveling Unova while they promoted Pokemon contests to a region that had previously never held them. Thanks to the three beautiful ladies, Contest fever was currently burning across the coastal region like a wildfire. Thanks to the primo satellite uplink Oak's Ranch enjoyed as the home base of a top researcher, Ash was able to catch most of their contests from the other side of the world and he had to admit that he couldn't find fault with the sudden Unovan interest in the Contests (or rather, the coordinators themselves).

Brock was trying to realize his dream of becoming a doctor of both human and Pokemon medicine, being in his last semester of the med courses offered at Goldenrod University. He mostly kept in touch with all his friends, and when Ash had explained that he would be traveling again, Brock lamented that he was still swamped with finals and wouldn't be able to join Ash on the road again. However, the former Rock-type trainer had told Ash that his brother Forrest had just recently been awarded his Gym Leader's license and was looking for challengers.

Max had expressed some interest in joining him sometime in the next month or so once he and his Pokemon had recuperated from the Pokemon League's tribulations. Ash could sympathize; his first League participation had left his nerves frazzled for weeks after, and it had only been the promise of a brand-new region that had let him bounce back so easily. Well, that and he'd been ten at the time.

The last time he'd spoken with Iris, she had taken on an apprenticeship with Drayden, and was currently subbing as Opelucid Gym's Leader when Drayden was needed elsewhere. From what Ash had been able to gather online, Iris was a more ferocious battler than Drayden, and woe betide any Trainer who thought taking the Legend Badge from a little girl would be easy. Cilan had returned to the Striaton Gym, where he had brought all the spice and zing he had met on his trip with Ash and Iris and made the restaurant gym even more flavorful (his words, not Ash's). Bonnie and Clemont had apparently turned the Lumiose Gym into the first Double-Battle gym in Kalos. Funnily enough, Heliolisk and Dedenne were an almost unbeatable team thanks to the close bond their Trainers shared

And of course, Misty was...well, she was Misty, the Tomboy Mermaid of the Cerulean Cape. She had almost single-handedly raised her family's gym to one of the premier Pokemon Gyms in all of Kanto, and was widely regarded as a legitimate Water Master.

As he ruminated on his friends' success, Ash forcefully shoved any melancholy to the side. He should be happy that all those whom he cared about were on their way to achieving everything they'd ever wanted, not whining about how life wasn't fair. Hell, that was one of the first lessons he'd learned on his journey. Another thing he learned was that if things weren't all right, then it wasn't the end yet. And wasn't he trying to reclaim his own dream of becoming a recognized Pokemon Master?

With each step, Ash's resolve solidified until it was hard and unbreakable as Cobalion's Iron Defense. That Day had weighed heavily upon his mind and heart for long enough; it was like Pikachu had said, those deaths were a tragedy, but he couldn't stop them from living his own life.

He was drawn from his grand thoughts on life and death by an oddly familiar screech from above. Looking up, his sharp eyes caught a bird's silhouette as it dove out of the sun...directly toward him!?

With a quick scan, he realized that Charizard wasn't within his visual range, but hollered at the top of his lungs all the same before rolling forward just as the avian swooped. He felt a pair of talons scrabbling at his jacket, but they failed to find purchase and with a powerful down-beat the Flying-type was back in the air.

For a bewildered moment, he thought that perhaps that Fearow from years ago had found him, but a glance at Pikachu made him rethink that theory; Pikachu more than anyone hated that flying punk and would've hurled a Thunder at it on principle. Pikachu's fur _was_ crackling with a barely suppressed electric current, but his face bore confusion and recognition.

Ash brought some binoculars out of his bag and got a more detailed look at his attacker; it was a Pidgeot, marked as a female by the longer crest feathers, and...

Zooming in tight on the Pidgeot's beak, he noted the chip on the underside, and a scene played out in his mind of a Pidgeotto pulling off a devastating Double-Edge against Viridian Gym's Rhyhorn.

"No," Ash denied, even though the evidence was right before his eyes. With a speed and grace that astounded the Trainer, Pidgeot alighted before him, standing almost half a meter taller than him and glaring a hole through him with those predator's eyes that missed nothing. "Is...is that you, Pidgeot?"

_"Well, since I'm not on fire, I doubt I'm a Moltres," _his first Flying-type Pokemon shot back, maintaining an haughty gaze for a moment more before flapping her humongous wings around him happily. _"It's good to see you, Ash!_"

Ash had to stand on his tiptoes to sling his arms around her neck. "You too, Pidgeot, it's been too long!" He paused and gave her a look of wonder. "We came back for you, you know, but the whole flock was gone by then." He dug in his pocket and retrieved a worn-looking Pokeball.

Pidgeot smiled and jabbed him good-naturedly with her beak. _"It's not just Butterfree who migrate,"_ she explained. _"But Pidgey and our evolutionary line take much longer to get to where we're going. I only returned here because I had it on good authority you might need such a courageous, beautiful specimen as myself."_

Ash chuckled as she pretended to preen her feathers, but before he could ask who her good authority was, their reunion was cut short by a blast of flames from above. Pidgeot whipped up a whirlwind that dissipated most of the fire and doused the embers with a quick slap of mud before turning to the perpetrator and gaining altitude so they were level.

_"Hm," _she said speculatively as she gazed at Charizard. _"The last time I saw you, you were trying to burn my Trainer to a crisp."_

_"Last time I saw you, you were getting your feathery ass handed to you by a Fearow," _Charizard retorted with a cocky smirk.

_"You don't want any of this, little lizard,"_ Pidgeot warned, subtly kicking up a Tailwind.

_"On the contrary, I've wanted this fight for quite awhile, you overgrown Pidgey," _Charizard replied coolly (or as coolly as a Charizard can do anything). He curled his foreclaws into a fist as his entire arms spontaneously combusted. _"Let's do this."_

Charizard rushed forward, volleying half a dozen Fire Punches in. Pidgeot killed her momentum and dropped straight down before flaring her wings and blasting a Twister his way. Charizard dove after her, spinning around the Twister to gain speed and catch up.

His wings lit up with a metallic sheen, and he sliced at the bird Pokemon over and over, not disheartened in the slightest when none of his strikes connected. Pidgeot performed a quick spin to power through a Flamethrower and slammed a mean Wing Attack into Charizard's gut.

Roaring in pain, Charizard also spun, spewing fire all around him as he increased his speed. The result was a spiraling vortex of pure heat and light that hurt Ash's eyes even in the bright daylight.

_"What is _that_?" _Pidgeot wondered, looking both curious and impressed.

_"I call it Burnado,"_ Charizard proclaimed proudly. _"It's like if Fire Spin had a baby with Hurricane."_

With a single, powerful beat of his wings, Charizard sent his Burnado spinning toward Pidgeot. The bird was having none of it, and she began to coat her wings with cushions of wind that flowed out like a pair of giant secondary wings. She began climbing higher and higher, and then without warning, began to fall whilst maintaining a tight spin that whipped the air around her into a funnel shape that followed her down into the belly of the Burnado. The fiery vortex bulged, then broke, showering route below in embers.

The two powerful Flying-types assessed each other carefully, then charged forward, Charizard wreathed in flames while Pidgeot's form glowed brilliant white. Before they collided, a small seed-like object flew up between them and promptly exploded with the force of a small Graveler.

Both managed to make a clean (if heavy) landing, and shot twin glares at Bulbasaur, who took them defiantly. _"In case you two haven't realized, a dragon and a giant bird of prey fighting above a route that hasn't seen rain in three weeks isn't the best idea."_

Even as he spoke, he used his vines to sweep piles of dirt over still-burning embers. Said dragon and giant bird of prey at least had the grace to look sheepish.

"So..." Ash began once he was sure the two were done with their little quarrel. "...do you wanna come traveling with us?"

_"That depends on whether you're going to compete in the next Indigo League,"_ Pidgeot said.

"Erm, we still haven't decided yet," Ash began, then yelped as Pikachu withdrew his charged tail. "I mean, _I _haven't decided yet, but I'm pretty sure we will. The sign-up's in about four months, and I'm pretty sure we can get the necessary Badges in that time-frame."

_"Then count me in," _she said simply. _"I haven't truly fought a battle in a very long time. After awhile, no one would bother my flock because of the reputation I'd gotten as a strong individual. But fighting this little lizard has shown me that I may have gotten a bit complacent without a challenge."_

"You call that tornado thing _complacent_?" Ash asked in disbelief.

_"Came a time when I could whip up three of those simultaneously,"_ Pidgeot said, her eyes gaining a nostalgic shine. Ash decided that he'd rather not know and simply feel glad that he had regained one of his oldest companions, thinking once again that the Indigo League was about to get quite the rude awakening.

* * *

By the same time the next day, the group of travelers had already made their way into the Viridian Forest. Pidgeot had taken wing and was doing the scouting (_"Because this is a job for someone with _proper_ skills,"_ she'd snarked at Charizard) while Bulbasaur and the "little lizard" had opted for a rest in their Pokeballs, leaving Ash and Pikachu to reminisce about their time in the forest.

_"Do you remember that samurai kid?"_ Pikachu asked.

Ash chuckled, recalling the kabuto-helmed young man and the battle which had ensued (if it could be called that). "The one who tried to out-Harden Metapod with another Metapod?"

Pikachu gave him a look. _"As I recall, you tried to adopt that same strategy and Misty and I ended up developing a nice tan."_

Acknowledging his foolishness, Ash laughed. "Man, I was pretty stupid back then," he said almost fondly. "Which is kind of weird when you think that I was friends with the grandson of one of the greatest mind in Kanto."

_"If you went back in time now, you'd probably make the same mistakes in brand-new and exciting ways," _Pikachu assured him.

"HALT!" came a distant cry, accompanied by the crash of undergrowth being swept aside as someone rushed toward them.

The pair paused and waited until whoever it was reached them, and both had to resist the urge to palm their faces; speak of the Renegade and he shall appear indeed...

"Ash Ketchum of Pallet!" Samurai the Bug Catcher exclaimed as he sliced through some young saplings with his blade. Other than the obvious growth, Samurai looked almost exactly as Ash remembered, except the insect expert had grown an impressive mustache. "At last, two foes turned allies meet again in the wilderness!"

"Er, hey Samurai," Ash greeted, a bit unnerved at the enthusiastic greeting, "long time no see!"

"That, Ash, is quite the understatement," Samurai replied heartily, clapping Ash on the back with bruising force. "But since we're Trainers of Pokemon, there is a quick and easy way of catching up with an old acquaintance!"

He smirked as his free hand strayed to the Pokeballs clipped to his sword belt, and Ash felt the old familiar grin pull his lips up in response at the prospect of a battle. Samurai selected and tossed his Pokemon onto the grassy field they found themselves in, revealing a Butterfree with a midnight blue body and wings that shone with toxic dust.

"Bring forth your own Butterfree so we might be able to rectify the follies of our youth!" Samurai proclaimed. Had he been so melodramatic last time? Pikachu didn't exactly remember with any clarity, but this _did _seem familiar.

Ash shook his head. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Samurai, but I release Butterfree a long time ago so he could pursue the Pokemon of his dreams."

"How...how noble," Samurai said, eyes gleaming suspiciously. "Truly, you are a great Trainer, Ash. In honor of your sacrifice, I will not use my Butterfree." He recalled the blue insect and sent out a yellow and black one instead. "Rather, I shall use my Beedrill!"

Ash felt that using Charizard might be cheating just a little bit, and responded by chucking Bulbasaur's ball onto the impromptu battlefield.

"Saur, Ingrain and Sunny Day," Ash began, watching as Bulbasaur's stubby toes dug themselves into the soft earth while the sunlight seemed to intensify.

"Beedrill, Focus your Energy and then confuse them with your Double-Team!" Samurai retorted. For a moment, Beedrill simply hung in the air curled protectively in on himself. Humans wouldn't be able to feel it (well, _most_ humans; Ash probably could if he tried), but Pikachu could sense the subtle shift of Beedrill's energy, focused into its needle-arms and stinger.

Then, quite suddenly, Beedrill split into dozens of after-images that quickly surrounded Bulbasaur, who was by then fully entrenched.

"Okay, Saur, fire Leech Seed!" From Bulbasaur's bulb shot a multitude of tiny seeds, most of which simply passed harmlessly through the speed clones Beedrill had created with his velocity. Three lucky seeds, however, managed to catch the true Beedrill flat-footed and sprouted draining vines that wrapped tightly around the Poison Bee Pokemon.

Pikachu smiled, recalling a time when Ash would've had Bulbasaur charge right in, Vine Whips swinging and Seed Bombs blazing. Seeing Ash now as he utilized an actual strategy (would wonders never cease!?) against an opponent, Pikachu didn't think he would've even recognized his Trainer if he hadn't spent the last seven years with him.

Bulbasaur was firmly rooted, drawing energy from the ground while the sun beat down overhead, and he was getting periodic (if nonconsensual) infusions of power from Beedrill as well now. Samurai had lost already; he just didn't know it.

"Beedrill, augment an Aerial Ace with Agility, then Pin Missile to keep it busy!" Beedrill was off like a shot, utilizing lightning speed to strike Bulbasaur _hard_ with both needles, zipping away before the Seed Pokemon could retaliate, then sent a volley of glowing gold barbs at him from his sting.

"Dig in, Saur, and use Growth!" Bulbasaur used the leverage of having roughly half of his legs already in the dirt to quickly go subterranean. Pikachu could just vaguely make out an influx of energy as Bulbasaur followed Ash's commands. Not many people knew this (and even Pikachu hadn't known until Bulbasaur had let him in on the secret), but when it was particularly sunny out, Growth's boost was intensified significantly.

Pikachu glanced over to Samurai, and was startled to find him folded into seiza position with his sword across his knees. Quick as a flash, Samurai's eyes opened, and he called out, "Hyper Beam, two meters to the right of the hole!"

Beedrill quickly charged one of the most powerful moves any Pokemon could learn with his needles and let it fly before Ash could call out a warning.

The beam of pure power pulverized the ground, leaving a huge crater. And in the center, blinking almost comically in the sunlight, was Bulbasaur...except, he wasn't exactly Bulbasaur anymore.

The Seed Pokemon craned his neck to inspect the leafy fronds and the flower bud now growing from his back, then turned to Ash and Pikachu, wondering, _"Do you think I might have overdone the Growth?"_

_"Maybe just a little," _Pikachu rolled his eyes.

"Saur, did you..."Ash began hesitantly, "...are you okay?"

The newly-evolved Ivysaur stretched his legs experimentally, waving a pair of vines around to poke at his new bulb. _"I'm feeling pretty good right now, why?"_

"Er, well...it's just that I remember how badly you didn't want to evolve for the longest time," Ash said.

Ivysaur shrugged, looking distinctly strange while doing so. _"You can't shoot milk back into a Miltank's teats once it's out,"_ he reasoned wisely. _"What's done is done."_

"Well, alright then," Ash nodded decisively. "Wanna test drive your new power?" Ivysaur simply smirked and nodded. "Alright then, let's go with Solar Beam!"

The fern-like fronds on Ivysaur's back began glowing white before transferring all the light into a sphere above the flower and sending it lancing through the air where it struck Beedrill.

Despite the fact that Solar Beam shouldn't have been much of a problem to a Poison/Bug-type, Beedrill was blasted into a tree and knocked silly by the spear of sunlight, prompting Samurai to recall the poor bee into his ball.

"Well, that was definitely unexpected," the warrior stated with a grin. "Your Bulb...ah, Ivysaur is a truly magnificent creature."

_"You're gonna make me blush," _he replied modestly.

_"It's a good thing you're not an egotist like Charizard," _Pikachu muttered, and Ivysaur snickered while pretending to fan himself with one of his own leaves.

"But as you might recall, I have another Pokemon who wishes for a rematch. Pinsir, go!"

Samurai tossed a stylized ball Pikachu recognized as a Luxury Ball, and the Stag Beetle Pokemon burst onto the scene in a shower of dull sparks. Pikachu knew this was the same Pinsir who nearly broke Metapod in half once upon a time, but there was something recognizably different; on his right arm, Pinsir bore a well-crafted _han kote _which acted as a sort of gauntlet. But what really caught Pikachu's eye was the multicolored (yet with distinctly more orange) stone set into the _han kote's_ backing.

Ash noticed it too, and he pointed at the sword Samurai held. Or, more precisely, to the Keystone within the pommel.

"Where the hell did you get a Mega Stone?" Ash yelped, tugging at the sleeve that hid his own Keystone bracelet.

"I've got a cousin in Kalos who works closely with several Mega Stone users, and he sent me this specially-crafted sword as well as the Pinsirite _han kote_," Samurai boasted proudly. "And now, we protect the Viridian Forest from any who would do her harm."

"No wonder you've gotten so strong," Ash managed appreciatively. "But before we continue, I need to call a friend." He let out a quick, piercing whistle, and less than a moment later, Pidgeot was swooping into the clearing as majestically as though she were Ho-Oh himself.

_"You got here awfully quick," _Ivysaur pointed out. Pidgeot did a slight double-take at the Seed Pokemon's new look before shrugging her massive wings.

_"I'm the fastest Flying-type around, didn't you know?"_

_"Oh, come off it," _Pikachu interjected. _"You were in the trees watching the battle the entire time."_

Pidgeot buffeted him with a mild whirlwind. _"Spoil all my fun, why don't you?"_

_"Gladly."_

Before Pidgeot could manage a retort, Ash said, "Well, Pidge, you wanted a real battle right? How about going up against a truly awesome power?"

Pidgeot glanced toward Pinsir, then back to Ash. _"I mean no offense to this Pinsir, whom I'm sure is quite powerful, but I don't think I'll have much problem with a dirt-bound Pokemon."_

_"I'll show you dirt-bound, you glorified Thanksgiving dinner!" _Pinsir groused. He communicated with Samurai through a meaningful look, and they both nodded. Samurai stuck his blade point-down into the grass and pressed his index and middle fingers into the Keystone.

"Let our might combine to form the ultimate bond of battle!" Samurai belted out, as both his stone and the one on Pinsir began shining radiantly, and with the sound of a small explosion, the light became too much for Pikachu.

When the spots in the little mouse's vision cleared away, Pinsir had gained a pair of translucent yellow wings with orange venation through their center. Wing casings bearing thin, orange, blade-like protrusions appeared on his back, and his horns had elongated while the spikes grew as well.

All in all, Pinsir had undergone a rather incredible transformation, and Pikachu could _feel_ the strength radiating from the Mega Pokemon.

"Well, Pidge, at this point you know your capabilities better than I do, so have at it," Ash said, and Pidgeot tore into the sky instantly, followed closely by Mega Pinsir. Samurai gestured for Ash to follow him.

After recalling Ivysaur, Ash was led up through a network of ladders and rope bridges into the canopy of Viridian Forest onto a platform where the pair of Trainers could see their Pokemon with an unobstructed view just as the battle began.

Pinsir had begun with Double-Team, and a legion of Mega Pokemon zoomed through the air with the heavy drone of giant insect wings filling the air. Pidgeot simply blew through half a dozen with Quick Attack before having to veer off to avoid a Vicegrip from the original.

Something was off about that Vicegrip, however, and Pikachu had Ash ask Samurai about it.

"That's Mega Pinsir's Aerilate," Samurai explained. "Any attack with neutral energy is infused with the power of the winds themselves. It is quite a boon whenever we're attacked by Ghosts, and not many people are aware of the change of Abilities to begin with."

This was demonstrated again when Pinsir loosed a Hyper Beam that struck Pidgeot right in the chest. Now that he knew what to look for, Pikachu was quick to pick out the Flying-type energy infused in the blast of raw power. It actually felt like a (very slightly) watered-down version of Lugia's Aeroblast. Pidgeot managed to right herself before she hit the treetops and sent a sickling wind slicing toward Pinsir.

The Stag Beetle easily dodged the Air Slash, and Pikachu could almost hear the smugness in the drone of his wings. Pikachu grinned when Pinsir failed to spot the Air Cutters that slammed into him on the tail of that Air Slash, and Pidgeot followed up with some showy Acrobatics that left Pinsir panting.

Though that wasn't to say Pidgeot wasn't in any better shape; having been struck by enough Hyper Beams to know what they felt like, Pikachu could definitely sympathize with the slightly off-kilter rhythm of Pidgeot's wings.

The aerial battlers seemed to make eye contact before both nodding and cutting through the air as they streaked toward one another; apparently, they'd agreed to make this last clash an up-close and personal affair.

Pinsir's initial Vicegrip was deftly dodged, but as Pidgeot wound up a Steel Wing, she was forced to use her metallic feathers to block a Mega Punch and dip out of the way of a follow-up Submission. Pidgeot tried for a Wing Attack, but it was caught and the momentum used to initiate a Storm Throw that sent her into a particularly large tree that jutted out above the Viridian canopy.

Pikachu could see Pidgeot gearing up for a Double-Edge, but then she paused, along with Mega Pinsir, both of whom traded glances before racing to the platform their Trainers stood upon.

They didn't have to wonder very long just why the two had ceased their battle; a dark cloud seemed to detach itself from the giant tree, beginning as simple smudges on the horizon. It soon resolved itself into a swarm of angry Beedrill, and Pikachu had to wonder if Fate really did have it out for his Trainer.

Pinsir apparently decided in that moment that devolving would be a great idea, and with a sound like breaking glass, Pinsir's wings disappeared and he started to fall until Pidgeot caught him by the horn and swung him onto the platform as well, and the two battlers were promptly recalled by their Trainers.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't something suspiciously similar happen the last time we battled?" Samurai asked as he led them to a hidden trapdoor that led them to a quite comfortable cabin several dozen meters above the forest floor.

Ash ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "This kind of stuff happens to me with disturbing regularity."

"Well, don't worry," Samurai assured him. "I've got a few safe houses like this scattered around the forest, and I keep them all well-stocked with berries and water. Once the swarm passes by, I'll lead you out like last time."

The pair of young men spent the time trading stories of their adventures, chuckling and (definitely _not_) crying as the situation demanded, and by the time the Beedrill had abandoned their manhunt, Samurai and Ash had reaffirmed their friendship with a promise not to wait another decade to meet up again.

* * *

**After-Action Report (Warning, it's kind of long): **Yeah, it was Pidgeot. To quote one of my favorite movies: Yes, I lied! I'm a writer; I give the truth _scope_! By the time Ash makes it to maybe Saffron, he'll hopefully have regained all the Pokemon he's been separated from (i.e.: Primeape, Butterfree, Squirtle, Lapras) It's funny how after Johto, Ash never parted with another Pokemon again. It's even more jarring to realize that Pidgeot's never in any of the group shots at the end of the seasons. Charizard's in a couple of them, even though he's usually training in the Charizard Valley and Pidgeot's almost literally a stone's throw from Oak's Ranch.

Anyway, I loved Pidgeot, both as a Pokemon in-game and as the character in the anime. Ever the reliable Pokemon, Pidgeotto helped Ash out a whole helluva lot and I wanted to reunite them. At first, I was thinking that there should be some consequences for Ash leaving her there and never coming to visit (at least none that were shown), and that only by doing something stupidly heroic that he would regain her trust or whatever.

Then I realized that Pidgeot's a bird, and birds migrate and stuff, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume that Ash actually _had_ gone back for her only to notice the flock had flown south for the winter, etc. Pidgeot's "good authority" line is a bit of foreshadowing. I've got something rad as fuck (hopefully) in store for the Indigo League this time around.

Did anyone else laugh out loud as a kid when Ash and Samurai tried to out-Harden the other's Metapod, or am I just an idiot? Regardless, Samurai's the very first Trainer of the Day in Pokemon, so I thought I'd give him something special to commemorate his achievement. So now he and Pinsir have the ability to Mega Evolve.

Before anyone says that I overpowered Pidgeot, think of it like this: Pidgeot has spent her entire life flying, and a good seven to eight years protecting a whole flock of Pidgey and its evolutions from harm. On the other hand, here's Mega Pinsir who only gains the ability to fly when he's Mega Stoned (patent pending). Neither has home field advantage because both spent a good deal of time in the Viridian Forest. Now, against an earthbound opponent, Mega Pinsir would be practically unstoppable, what with its massive ATTACK boost and whatnot, but against an aerial combatant, he just didn't have any chance against Pidgeot the Protector.

And I'm just going to say it right now. There won't be any four-move limit. As a game mechanic, it makes a lot of sense. In an anime/fanfic of said anime, it doesn't make a lick of fucking sense. Alakazam have ludicrous IQs and while the Intelligence Quotient isn't a particularly accurate representation of a person (or Pokemon's) intelligence, I doubt anything higher than one-fifty would have any problems learning more than four moves.

There might be a move limit during the League Battles, I'm still not sold on that one, but it's kicking around in my head right now.

As for Bulbasaur's evolving and his subsequent non-fuck-giving attitude about it, I believe that seven years is a very long time and people can change their minds about things they were adamant about before. Also, I want Ash to have Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard, like the Pokemon Trainer in Smash Bros.

Anything I didn't answer can be used to poke at me in a review or PM. Reviews are appreciated more than favorites or follows, but I'm not too picky about that anymore.

Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!


	3. I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night

**Author's Note: **This will be the first part of the Pewter Gym battle. I was going to upload it all as a single big chapter, but it sort of got away from me. The second part will be posted in a few days once I've finished editing.

**Disclaimer **still applies from last chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 3: ****I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night**

* * *

Ash had been many places and seen many things throughout his travels, but he never ceased to be amazed at the steady march of progress. His first visit to Pewter City had been so long ago, yet he distinctly remembered the settlement as being much smaller than this teeming metropolis.

It was to be expected, he supposed, with the city being so close to three major landmarks in Kanto. The Viridian Forest was one of the premier hotspots for Bug-type enthusiasts to hunt for their favorite Pokemon, especially since the population boom in Pokemon previously unknown to the region like Ledyba and Combee. The Diglett Cave wasn't too far off either, and spelunkers from around the world came to explore the massive warrens that lay within. The Kanto Museum of Natural History, which had been built only a decade ago, was also a great tourist attraction, and many of the exhibits prompted the visitors to gain an interest in Mount Moon and the dark splendor that lay in its shadowy caverns. The conspiracy theorists who were dead set on figuring out whether or not Clefairy and Clefable were really from the moon were just icing on the cake.

Ash tried to figure his way through the city based on his limited knowledge of the place gained through Brock and memories of the last time he'd been here for Brock's birthday a few years back, then eventually just gave up and hopped on Pidgeot to find the Pokemon Center from the sky. Once Pidgeot and Ivysaur had been checked up and given a clean bill of health, they'd made their way to the Pewter Gym to check up on his oldest traveling companion's family.

Again, Ash was struck by how much things could change. The very first time he'd set his sights on the Pewter Gym, it had been a blocky building with a facade made up of a jumble of rocks and an off-center sign chiseled into the biggest slab of stone (almost as if the person designing it had posessed poor or obstructed vision). Now, most likely thanks to the influence of Brock's mom, the pile of boulders had become an artful stack of stones with bits of quartz that shone in the sunlight while rivulets of water trickled out through tiny gaps in the rocks that collected into two quaint ponds that flanked the entrance. The sign proclaiming it to be the Pewter City Pokemon Gym was centered perfectly and done in a rough, jagged script that denoted its rugged nature.

Ash ignored the gym's heavy stone doors in favor of heading to the large house situated behind the building, grinning as he saw the twins playing a game of volleyball with a pair of Geodude.

When they spotted him, the pair of siblings raced over to him happily, and Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder to meet them.

"Ash! How are you?" the older twin asked, giggling as Pikachu leapt up to (lower-case) nuzzle him in greeting.

"I'm great, Billy," Ash answered, ruffling the boy's coarse hair before turning to his sister. "And how are you, Tilly?"

"Great!" the little brunette said, giving Pikachu a rub between the ears. "Guess what? Me and Billy are gonna get our Trainer's licenses next month!"

Ash shook his head, thoroughly amazed at how time flew. It seemed only yesterday that these two were just leaving that awkward toddler stage, and now they were almost old enough to go traveling on their own.

"That's awesome, you two," he congratulated. "How's everyone else doing?"

"Sal and Mom and Dad are in the house," Billy said, gesturing for Ash to follow them inside. "Timmy and Tom are traveling in Hoenn right now, Cindy's doing her shift at the museum, Suzie's with her _boyfriend_," here he made a disgusted face (which Ash found positively hilarious, given his siblings'...appreciation of the opposite gender), "and Yolanda's doing her fashion model thing in Unova."

"Is Forrest home as well?" Ash wondered. "I feel like I haven't seen you lot in ages."

Tilly shot him an adorably reproachful look. "It _has _been ages," she complained. "You haven't been around here in _years_!"

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "The ranch has kept me so busy I've been losing track of time lately."

"Work shouldn't stop you from keeping in touch with your friends," Tilly replied sagely, and her brother nodded in agreement. Ash smiled, not for the first time wondering how Brock and his siblings had gained their monk-like wisdom. It surely hadn't been from Lola or Flint (though he would hardly say that aloud).

"Yeah, Pikachu's gotten me off my lazy butt so I could visit everyone again," Ash said as they entered the kitchen where Salvador was whipping up some lunch. "He seems to think I don't get out much anymore."

"That's an understatement," Sal said jovially, waving a welcoming whisk his way. "Where've you been? I know Cindy'll be happy to see you." Here, the three siblings shared a downright evil smirk that gave Ash a deep sense of foreboding, but he quickly brushed it to the back of his mind.

The three of them were joined in short order by Flint, Lola, and Forrest, who spent the time catching Ash up on the Harrison family's latest exploits, like how Timmy was quickly becoming a rising star in the Hoenn region's Contest circuit, while Yolanda was currently doing a shoot with the one and only Elesa next week.

Eventually, Suzie also made an appearance with the aforementioned boyfriend-a beshorted young fellow who hailed from Cherrygrove City named Joey, whose Ratata was (in his humble opinion) definitely in the top percent of Ratata, and didn't seem to mind going on at length about dear old Rata-tat-tat.

Lunch was set before them (thankfully Sal was around, since he and Brock had most emphatically _not_ inherited their culinary skills from either parent), and they were about to dig in when Cindy, the second oldest of Brock's sisters, finally showed up.

"Ugh, sorry I'm late," she said, hardly glancing at the dinner table as she pulled off her uniform jacket and hung it up on the rack near the door. "That idiot with the Mega Pinser's in town again challenging everyone to battles in front of the museum."

Ash winced, wondering just how often Samurai did that and if he'd been a catalyst for this particular incident.

"Excellent, he's always good for an interesting battle!" Forrest chuckled, slapping his hand on the table. Considering just how much the kid had grown (he was a foot and a half taller than Ash), it made quite the cacophony, drawing Cindy's attention to him. Then her eyes moved to Ash, who was sitting on Forrest's left side and Ash suddenly understood Sal's sly little comment earlier.

For quite a while now, Brock had been warning Ash of Cindy's infatuation for him, but Ash had simply written it off as a little girl's crush on her brother's friend. He hardly visited anymore, so he figured it had blown over.

He had been wrong before, of course.

Cindy could no longer be called _little _in any sense of the word. Her auburn hair was pulled into braided pigtails that trailed down her back, and...well, the sixteen-year-old certainly took after her mother in a couple of very pleasant ways.

Ash instantly berated himself for such sinful thoughts and waved cheerfully. "Hey, Cindy. I might be responsible for Samurai coming here today. He led me outta Viridian Forest about an hour ago."

"Yeah, 'cause we all know your tendency to get lost," Billy chortled mischievously. Ash groaned; Brock had been telling them stories again, and that never boded well.

"I woulda made it through easily enough on my own," the black-haired Trainer insisted defensively.

Pikachu snorted disbelievingly. "_Whatever you say, Ash," _he muttered patronizingly.

"Don't you start, too," Ash grumbled good-naturedly.

"Ash, it's so wonderful to see you!" Cindy chirped, quickly settling herself into the seat next to him, which had been curiously left unused by her siblings. "I-er, that is, _we've_ missed you!"

" 'We,' she says," Suzie whispered to Joey, who politely kept his mouth shut, instead muttering about how boss Rata-tat-tat's IVs were.

"Er, yeah, it's really great to see everyone again," Ash agreed, clearing his throat awkwardly. Ash had no clue how she did it, but Cindy's eyes sparkled through her eyelids.

"_You're in for it now,_" Pikachu giggled gleefully, nudging his head with an elbow.

Thankfully, Forrest seemed to have derived enough amusement from Ash's predicament. "So, Ash, have you heard about my recent promotion to full Gym Leader?"

Ash grasped onto the obvious life-line. "Brock mentioned it. I'm seriously impressed, man. Congratulations."

Forrest took the praise with a humble smile and a word of thanks. "I was wondering, though, if you'd be willing to battle me. It doesn't have to be for a badge or anything like that," he added hastily. "I know you're retired. It's just that I remember how incredible a Trainer you were, and me and the team would like to measure ourselves against you."

Pikachu dropped to the table, pointing toward Forrest. "_See? You were _meant_ to come back when you did. It's destiny and stuff._"

Ash rolled his eyes, but he couldn't really find fault with Pikachu's assessment. _Well,_ he thought, _in for a penny..._

"Forrest, my Pokemon recently got me thinking about having another go at the Indigo League, and your challenge just made me decide to listen to them." He stood up, and Pikachu fist-pumped in his peripheral vision. "Gym Leader Forrest, I'd like to pick a fight with you for a shiny piece of metal."

The second son smirked, rising to his feet as well. "You've got yourself a battle, Pallet."

* * *

The inside of the Pewter Gym had, like its exterior, undergone a serious transformation. The rock garden theme was still mostly intact, though the heavy gray boulders and soft sand were more artfully placed to achieve maximum zen. The most bizzare change, however, had to be the large moat of water ringing the craggy battlefield, especially when he recalled Brock's complaints about the last time a water hazard had been introduced to the place. There was quite a lot of it, actually, considering the gym hadn't made any changes to their official type from Rock to Water.

Forrest stood confidently on a pedestal of stone, his family watching from above on the catwalk (one of the few things that _hadn't _been altered). Ash hesitated a moment before stepping into the challenger's box. His stomach seemed to have somehow learned Splash without his notice and was currently flip-flopping all over the place.

Pikachu's paw on his temple caught his attention, and he glanced at his dearest friend. "_Relax, man. It's just a good, old-fashioned gym fight. We've done this a million times. Nothing new._"

Ash let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. "You're right." A slow, lazy grin stretched his lips. He was in his _element_ here; what was there to be nervous or afraid of? He was Ash-freakin'-Ketchum, and this was where he shined.

Flint moved to center-field, holding a pair of flags (gray for the Leader and blue for him). "This'll be six one-on-one battles for the official Boulder Badge of the Indigo Pokemon League. Most wins takes it, and in the event of a draw, the challenger gets the badge. Once a Pokemon's fought, they are ineligible for any of the other matches. Do you both understand?" At both the battlers' nods, Flint raised the flags. "Then send out your first Pokemon!"

Ash palmed a ball and tossed it onto the sandy ground in an area devoid of rocky outcrops, and Pidgeot appeared at the same time a strangely familiar-looking Golem materialized across the field. He peered intently at the reptilian head for a moment before snapping his fingers in astonished recognition. "Is that you, Geodude!?"

"_That's Golem to you, Ketchum,_" Golem rumbled with a chuckle like an earthquake. "_And look who we have here._" He gave Pidgeot a haughty look. "_Back for another beating?_"

Pidgeot scoffed. "_I'll let your imminent unconsciousness speak for itself,_" she shot back pridefully.

The Megaton Pokemon settled into a defensive stance and started beating the part of its shell which could be called a chest on another creature causing a deep, rhythmic pounding sound to echo through the gym. The noise was accompanied by a tremendous shift in Golem's power, and Ash blinked in confusion.

"I didn't know Golem could learn Belly Drum," he wondered aloud.

"_Just because you stay out of touch doesn't mean we all do,_" Golem explained. "_Politoad and I came to an arrangement. Belly Drum for Mud Sport._"

Forrest grinned. "It's come in handy a lot more than you'd think. Now, use Iron Polish."

No sooner had the gong-like sound faded than Golem withdrew his head and limbs into his shell, which gained a silvery sheen. Then, he began to rotate in place, the fine sand buffing the metallic stone until it gleamed brilliantly.

Again, Ash felt completely in the dark. "Are you really gonna make me ask?"

Tilly took pity on him and called down. "Forrest and Brock figured out how to combine Iron Defense with Rock Polish!" she shouted. "It makes Golem tougher and faster at the same time. Isn't it pretty?"

"Dazzling," Ash deadpanned. Forrest and Golem had not only gotten a huge power boost from the percussive buff, but now Pidgeot had to deal with a speedy, nearly invulnerable boulder, all in the first minute of the fight. Great.

"Now, let's rock and roll!" Forrest commanded, and the still spinning Golem was off like a shot. Pidgeot gained altitude to avoid the Boulder of Doom, but Golem surprised her _and_ Ash by using the various stones jutting out of the sand as ramps, and it took some fancy flight-work to dodge the suddenly acrobatic rock. Apparently, the placement of the rocks wasn't just for the feng-shui.

"_I appreciate the opportunity for a rematch, Ash, I really do,_" Pidgeot snarked as she swooped low into a quick aerial screw to evade Golem, "_but did I _have _to make my big comeback at the only Gym in Kanto I've got a distinct _dis_advantage in?_"

"Aw, c'mon," Ash cajoled. "Like you can't handle Golem. Modesty's great and everything, but you're a Pidgeot. You can fly circles around him and still be fresh as a daisy. Didn't you take out a Rhydon with a Double-Edge the last time we were at the Viridian Gym?"

"_Well, I _am_ pretty amazing_," she allowed, flipping so her back was to the ground just in the nick of time. She gave the rolling ball of tonnage an upside down smirk and batted him up with a Steel Wing before spiraling into a Hurricane that effectively juggled Golem for a good few seconds, allowing her time to pull up a Tailwind to aid in outmaneuvering her opponent.

The Hurricane abated, and Golem hit the ground before uncurling, looking mostly unscathed. "_I hope you like sand,_" Golem said, driving his five-clawed foot down. Slowly, the miniscule particles of earth began flying hither and thither until what seemed like the half the battlefield was up in the air. Ash noted with a grimace that the Harrisons had all pulled out a pair of Go-Goggles and cursed himself for not having the foresight to do the same.

"Now, Rock Blast!" Golem smashed his fist into one of the stone pillars and when he pulled it out, it was encased in a giant boulder. Bracing the heavy weight with his other arm, Golem leveled it at Pidgeot.

"_Hey, check it out, I'm Rockman!_" Golem joked, and Ash had to stifle a groan.

"Agility!"

Pidgeot vanished just as Golem began shooting small bits of his impromptu arm cannon toward her position at high velocity, peppering the ceiling with small, yet sharp pebbles.

The chase continued much the same, with Pidgeot occasionally being struck by some of the quicker projectiles whenever the sandstorm impeded her nimble acrobatics, until the boulder was little more than a bit of rock Golem held in his three-fingered hand. With a grunt, he hurled it at Pidgeot, who easily dodged and swooped around.

"Let's see," Ash hummed, mentally cycling through what Pidgeot had told him of her new moves. "Try Whirlwind to nullify that speed boost, then hit him with Twister."

Pidgeot's wings battered the sandy air as she swirled up her sole Dragon-type move. Normally, Twister as an attack was somewhat lacking, but Pidgeot had not been the guardian of an entire flock of Pidgey with nothing to show for it. Rock-types had a certain fondness for Flying-type cuisine, and many of the attacks Pidgey and its evolutions learned did absolutely jack to a solid mineral Pokemon, so when the going got tough, Pidgeot got creative.

Within seconds, a trio of whirlwinds were spinning rapidly along the tips of Pidgeot's wings and beak, and with a slight twitch one of them was sent spiraling toward Golem. The Rock/Ground-type braced himself, trusting his weight and the Iron Polish's buff to see him through.

The Harrisons let out a collective gasp when the Megaton Pokemon was literally sent flying from the super-powered wind as he rose on a looping cushion of air that set him up perfectly in Pidgeot's sights. The bird surged forward, coated in a swirling pocket of wind that began to glow with a slightly greenish tinge. Just before she would have struck, Pidgeot dove slightly, cutting through the dervish that held Golem aloft. The driving vortex continued along her previous vector, however, and smashed into her opponent with all the force of a runaway freight train.

Golem was hurled past the moat and into the thick wall behind Forrest, where he remained embedded halfway up off the ground, loopy-eyed. "_Did someone get the license plate number on that jet?_" he whimpered.

Flint raised the blue flag, calling out, "Golem's unable to continue. Pidgeot and Ash win the first match."

Forrest, shaking his head in amazement, recalled his big bro's Pokemon then turned to Ash and Pidgeot, who had alighted on one of the stones and begun preening her (only slightly) ruffled feathers.

"I didn't know Twister could become so strong," the new Gym Leader admitted. "I'd thought for sure that we had that one."

"Type advantage means nothing when you're battling Ash Ketchum!" Cindy called down, matter-of-fact, and her older brother smiled deprecatingly.

"I suppose I shoulda known that, all the stories Brock's told us," he conceded. "Is it true you actually knocked out a Cubone with a Thunderbolt?"

Ash smirked at Pikachu, who rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't the only time we've done that, either," Ash answered. "Pi here might actually have a Hidden Ability no one's heard about yet. Gary's been bugging us about doing some more in-depth research, but we're having none of that."

"_I don't like that gleam he gets in his eye when he asks about it,_" Pikachu grumbled defensively.

"Okay, Pidge, you're done for now," Ash said, chuckling at his partner. "Great showing."

"_Obviously_," the big bird sniffed. She stretched her wings and rose up to land next to Billy and Tilly in the rafters. "_If it's all the same, I'd rather watch the rest from up here._"

Nodding, Ash selected one of the two Pokeballs he'd had sent to him from the ranch while Forrest did the same on the other side of the battlefield.

Flint, seeing that they were ready, raised his flags again. "Second match, begin!"

"You're up, Frogadier!" Ash called, watching as his amphibious friend appeared. When Forrest's next Pokemon solidified, Ash finally understood the addition of water to the battlefield.

Ash briefly recalled his limited experiences with Kabutops, and he couldn't really say in all honesty that he was overly fond of the prehistoric Pokemon species. Ash wondered if any of Forrest's other Pokemon had the dual-type that could fully utilize Pewter Gym's new battlefield, and rationalized that it was highly likely. They wouldn't add a huge moat just for the one Pokemon, after all.

Frogadier settled into his low, slippery stance as he sized up his opponent. "_So, we meet at last, my destined enemy._"

Kabutops glanced around awkwardly, then pointed at herself with one of her bony scythes. "_Er...are you talking to me?_"

"_Indeed_," Frogadier proclaimed as he began hopping from boulder to boulder to gain an appreciation of the battlefield's dimensions. "_The prophets have foretold our clash, and this battle's outcome shall be sung by the bards for ages beyond._"

The poor eurypterid was so confused by this point that she completely missed the brace of Water Shuriken that zipped toward her until they were already inside her guard and slashing into the weak points in her rocky armor.

"_What the...!?_" Kabutops snarled, pinning Frogadier with a glare. "_You tricked me!_"

"_Deceit and obfuscation are the way of the ninja,_" Frogadier replied shortly, Taunting her with a slight smirk.

"Kabutops, don't fall for it," Forrest warned, but his plea fell on deaf ear pits as Kabutops let out a strangled roar, lashing out with a barrage of Slash attacks.

Frogadier wove through three anger-driven strikes, Mat Blocked a fourth, and then dropped a Smokescreen. When the fifth and sixth Slashes cut through the smoke, he was nowhere to be found.

Kabutops' eyes darted around, searching for the sneaky shinobi, but found nothing. At a shouted warning from her Trainer, she dodged out of the way of a Water Pulse, and smirked when she tracked it back to the pool.

"_You're mine now!_" she yelled triumphantly as she dove into the water, neon green energy flowing from her scythe's points. "_Giga Drain!_"

Frogadier popped out of the water quickly, but not quite quickly enough to completely escape the draining technique unscathed. He landed atop one of the stones, breathing heavily, but as soon as Kabutops followed him back to land he unleashed another half-dozen Water Shuriken that glanced off her head, causing her to recoil slightly back into water.

"Okay, I think that's good enough," Forrest said with a decisive nod. "Mud Shot!"

Kabutops sank back into the pool, disappearing from sight as her passing raised up the silt on the moat's bottom and causing the water to cloud up and become murky. Not three seconds later, a glob of mud fired out of the water and struck Frogadier with a wet _slap_ on his back from behind.

Several more shots were fired in quick succession, each from a different location, until Frogadier looked more Ground-type than Water. The mud caked his streamlined form, making it more difficult to move, and each shot slowed him down even more.

"Now, Wring Out!" A blur of brown and gray slid out of the water and slammed into the boulder Frogadier had paused on, breaking up his footing and sending him flying. The Kabutops leapt up, sickles crossed, and squeezed Frogadier between the backs of her forearms before tossing him into another stone outcrop, where he lay dazed for a moment.

"How the hell is that Kabutops so quick?" Ash wondered aloud as his Pokemon regained his feet. He pondered for a moment more before remembering that Kabutops sometimes had the Weak Armor ability and cursed. Everytime Frogadier hit Kabutops with a Water Shuriken, Kabutops got a little bit quicker thanks to bits of its shell falling off.

Then he grinned. That meant that it's armor wasn't as tough as it could have been. "Frog, drop some Smokescreens and then set some traps!"

Frogadier shook off some of the mud and exhaled a thick cloud of black smoke that once again limited vision. Unable to target properly, Kabutops returned to dry land and began slowly stalking through the obscuring vapor, eyes peeled.

The sound of shifting sand drew Kabutops' attention to her left, and she dashed forward with her enhanced speed, scythes at the ready...and tripped over something wet, smacking her face into the ground. It smarted more than she'd care to admit.

Looking down, she found that a thick clump of the lake weeds that were grown in the pool had wound its way around her ankles. "_Grass Knot_," she growled in irritation.

"_You're knot wrong,_" Frogadier's voice floated through the smoke. Kabutops held back, not wanting to trigger anymore traps that were more than likely hiding in the sand. "_Now, I was thinking we might even the odds just a bit._"

As the dark smoke dissipated, it was quickly replaced by an icy fog that rolled in low to the ground, and she felt her speed drain away.

"_Call me Hazy, but I don't fancy fighting you when you're faster than a Speed-Boosting Sharpedo,_" Frogadier stated calmly. Faster than she could react, Kabutops felt a trio of progressively stronger punches slam into her carapace, and she pulled several large chunks of stone into a Rock Tomb around herself before Digging down into the sand to escape.

Taking no chances, Kabutops tore all the way out through the side of the battleground and into the pool before rubbing the scythes together quickly to Hone her Claws, preparing for the next exchange. That Haze had dropped her speed back to normal, but her defenses were back up again as well.

Just as she began to come up with some new tactics, she felt the water temperature begin to drop alarmingly. Above, Kabutops made out a thin line of pale light and dug back into the ground to avoid being frozen. Using her seismic sense, she quickly pinpointed her opponent and popped up to Pay him Back for that humiliating trip up.

She wasn't expecting to get blasted into a rock by what felt like a Hydro Pump, but she quickly Protected herself. Lucky she had, as a follow-up Ice Beam broke against the shield.

Kabutops frowned; that was much more powerful than it had any right to be from anything other than an Ice-type.

"It's got Protean!" Forrest shouted, having figured it out a few seconds before. "Metal Claw, and don't let up!"

Frogadier paled when he heard that. He really didn't enjoy when his foes used his own fantastic ability against him. He was able to dodge several swipes from the steely sickles, but couldn't quite escape the final swing. The force was enough to send him skipping across the battlefield, stopping only when a particularly jagged outcropping broke his momentum.

"_Urgh_," he grumbled, staggering to his feet. The Kabutops was charging again, this time with an Iron Head. Frogadier got off a quick Water Gun that dug a pot-hole just where Kabutops was stepping, and the eurypterid swerved to avoid it only to get snagged on one of Frogadier's Grass Knot traps.

"Time to end this one, Frog," Ash called. "Hydro Cannon!"

Nodding, Frogadier hopped away, contorting his webbed hands into complicated seals. It was almost entirely for show, but they did allow him to focuse the water a bit more effectively. A swirling sphere of incandescent water formed between his palms, and he let it fly just as Kabutops was regaining her feet.

The ball hurled forward, and just before it would have struck the Fossil Pokemon, it exploded with more water than should have been contained in the relatively small profile of the attack, drenching the sandy battlefield. Kabutops was blasted backward, rolling to a halt near the edge of the moat.

Forrest recalled his second Pokemon as Flint again rasied the challenger's flag. "Kabutops is unable to battle. Frogadier is the winner."

"_And thus, the shinobi melts back into the shadows to await his next victim's appearance," _Frogadier murmured softly, using a quick Smokescreen to hide his Double-Team departure back into his Pokeball for a good long rest. That Kabutops was certainly no one to take lightly.

* * *

**After-Action Report: **So there's the first part. For the introduction of Pewter City seven years into the future of the anime world, I tried to envision the kind of things that normally happen to places I've been to in the distant past that I revisited more recently. I always find the progress of humanity to be both humbling and a little terrifying, what with how quickly we've come, and humans aided by the insane power of Pokemon would be marching that much more quickly ahead.

Regarding Cindy's crush on Ash: I figured Brock's prone to intense infatuation with just about every girl he's met along the way, and at least a few of his siblings have picked up that habit. And since Ash is an old family friend, one of his sisters is bound to be crushing on Ash. Cindy just took it into young adulthood. For reference, Suzie is the Brockling with auburn hair and pigtails.

Also, you may or may not have noticed that I don't very much like Brock's parents. As an older sibling who didn't know his dad until age twenty with a mother who was prone to take off at a moment's notice and not return for years at a time, I've got certain **OPINIONS** on Lola and Flint, but I'll leave those where they belong and not bother you with them.

Yes, I am fully aware that Golem are unable to learn Belly Drum, either through TM, Egg Move, or naturally in-game. However, this is most assuredly _not_ the game. It's just the first instance of a Pokemon utilizing a move that is otherwise unable to perform it, and there will be many more. If it makes sense, it'll be done. I nearly had Kabutops bust out a Leaf Blade on Frogadier, but the fight finished before I could work it in.

Speaking of the Kabutops/Frogadier fight, I envisioned it a little bit like a samurai versus a ninja. The samurai has more power, but the ninja's sneaky and wily and speedy as shit. Also, a big thanks to **Saphroneth**, who assisted me in figuring out how a Kabutops could safely use Wring Out without cutting their opponent in half (on that note, if you haven't read **Saphroneth's** excellent Pokemon fic, _Ashes of the Past_, you should drop what you're doing and go read it. It's over a hundred chapters, well past the hundred thousand word mark, and one of the best Pokefics out there, in my own humble opinion).

Anything I might have missed, questions, comments, or simple hate are all welcome in the reviews or Private Messages. Thanks to all who have favorited and followed, and stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of the Pewter City Gym battle!


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